03.24.06

Jason Giambi reacted with frustration when asked about a published report that stated the new book “Game of Shadows” alleges he used steroids in an effort to please his demanding father. In a strange twist, however, the authors of the book say they made no such assertion in the explosive text, which went on sale yesterday.

When approached before last night’s game against the Astros, Giambi said it was “pathetic” that someone would write that his father’s high expectations had anything to do with him using steroids. “I’ve got issues, but that’s not one of them,” he said.

As it turns out, Giambi’s irritation may have been over nothing. Mark Fainaru-Wada, who co-authored the book with his San Francisco Chronicle colleague Lance Williams, said “Shadows” draws no connection between Giambi’s father and the first baseman’s decision to use steroids, despite what was reported in yesterday’s New York Post.

“The notion that the book said that is not accurate at all,” Fainaru-Wada told the Daily News in a phone interview. “It’s not even close.”

Fainaru-Wada said that the book does mention Giambi’s father but only in passages that give background about Giambi’s rise to the majors. The book says that Giambi wanted to succeed in baseball in part because of his father’s love for the game, but does not say that Giambi’s dad had anything to do with Giambi taking steroids.

“His dad was part of telling who he is and why he was driven to succeed,” Fainaru-Wada said. “The connection about his father being a reason he used steroids was not at all a part of that.”

“I think it’s pretty pathetic they want to drag my father into this,” Giambi said. “I’ve moved on. I mean that’s just sad that someone would try and do that to sell a book.”

Indeed, Jason’s dad has always kept such a low profile, I can’t imagine why his name would’ve ever come up.

Terry Tiffee has homered off Randy Johnson; the Yankees and Twins are tied at 1 through 4 1/2 innings in Fort Myers.